This flight attendant makes $95,000 per year. How does he spend it?
“I’m hoping to retire in my late 50s”
Charles Parreira is a 43-year-old flight attendant. He’s paid hourly and brings in roughly $95,000 a year. In 2010, he bought a one-plus-one-bedroom, one-bathroom starter condo at Lansdowne and Dupont for $189,000, which he later sold for $530,000. Breaking into the market that early helped him pay for his current condo—a two-bedroom, two- bathroom unit at Galleria on the Park in Wallace Emerson, which he purchased in November of 2019 for $705,000. He considers it his forever home and hopes to retire here in his late 50s.
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Regular Expenses
Mortgage: $1,500 a month. “I love it here. My home faces south, and I have an unobstructed east-west view of the entire skyline.”
Related: This piano teacher and wedding musician makes $170,000 a year. How does she spend it?
Utilities: $140.
Maintenance fees: $490. “My internet is included.”
Phone: $62 with Rogers. “I got this kick-ass plan that I discovered on a Reddit thread. It includes free international roaming in 64 countries. Rogers didn’t advertise it. I had to call multiple times until they finally let me sign up.”
Groceries: $350 a month. “I go to Food Basics or FreshCo, since they’re closest to me. I love to cook and to experiment: adding spices I bought overseas or pulling random ingredients from the pantry and fridge.”
Transit: $100 a month. “My morning commute is quite simple. I walk to the Bloor GO station and take the UP Express to work.”
Related: After decades of delays, the UP Express will soon connect to the TTC via a pedestrian tunnel
Going out: $100 a month. “My friends and I go out about once a month for dinner and drinks to explore the city. We just went to Aleria in West Queen West.”
Takeout: $100 a month. “My guilty pleasure is sushi. I get it delivered once a month from Monkey Sushi on Ossington. Their torched salmon roll, spicy salmon roll and sashimi are my go-tos. It’s enough for two people, but I eat it all myself.”
Mirvish shows: $709 a year. “I’ve always loved musicals. This package includes tickets to seven shows. The last one I attended was Just For One Day.”
Subscriptions: $62 a month, for Apple TV, Apple Music, Netflix, Paramount Plus and iCloud. “If I’m not listening to music when at home, I stream. I’ve been following Severance since it came out and I just binged the new season of Black Mirror over two days.”
Massages: $180 a month. “I go to Seraphic Massage at College and Brock. My benefits cover $80.”
Savings: $1,000 a month. “The money’s split between an RRSP, a TFSA and a regular savings account for rainy days, vacations and retirement.”
Recent Splurges
New feature wall: $7,000. “I’ve always wanted a fireplace feature wall. I got it installed last November.”
Steve Madden shoes: $200. “I walk everywhere, so I go through shoes quickly. Because the Bay was closing, I was able to score a deal on two pairs.”
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Andrea Yu is a freelance journalist based in Toronto. She reports on a wide variety of topics including business, real estate, culture, design, health, food, drink and travel. Aside from Toronto Life, her writing has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Chatelaine and Cottage Life.
